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Samsung announces three Wave handsets, dripping in Bada 2.0 and ChatON
It's shaping up to a be a busy IFA for Samsung. Barely 24 hours after announcing its new ChatON messaging client, the manufacturer is now gearing up to release a troika of new Bada 2.0-powered Wave handsets -- the Wave 3, Wave M and Wave Y -- set to make their debut this week in Berlin. Leading the pack is the Wave 3, which leaked earlier this week. Powered by a 1.4GHz processor, this little guy boasts a 4-inch WVGA Super AMOLED display, 3GB of memory (along with a 32GB microSD slot) and a five megapixel, auto-focus-enabled shooter. The Wave M, meanwhile, packs slightly less juice, with a 832MHz processor, a 3.65-inch WVGA screen and 150MB of onboard storage (with a 2GB inbox and 32GB microSD slot). Rounding out the collection is the Wave Y, with its 3.2-inch HVGA display, 832MHz engine and two megapixel camera. All three feature your usual smattering of WiFi / Bluetooth 3.0 capabilities and will ship with ChatON and Samsung's Social Hub baked into their DNA. No word yet on pricing or availability, but you can find out more in the full press release, after the break.
Google pinpoints shutdown dates for Wave, Translate APIs (amongst others)
'Tis a sad day in the world of Google... at least for developers who use any of a handful of ill-fated APIs. As the search giant's API list has grown in recent months, it's making the decision to cull a few in the effort of "spring cleaning." In fact, a grand total of seven new APIs were launched during Google I/O alone, but it looks as if the end is nigh for the Blog Search API, Books Data API, Image Search API, News Search API, Patent Search API, Safe Browsing API (v1 only), Translate API, Transliterate API, Video Search API and Virtual Keyboard API. Of those, Wave is most unsurprising, but Translate likely hurts the most -- particularly for jetsetters who relied on those baked-in services to wrap their heads around various tongues. According to Goog, the Translate API has been officially deprecated "due to the substantial economic burden caused by extensive abuse." A pretty ominous phrase, to be sure, and further proof that a few rotten apples can ruin things for the whole of us. Hit the links below to get a glimpse of the full damage -- we're warning you, it ain't pretty.
Netflix for Xbox 360 updated with Kinect support, everybody wave!
The next time you hit the Netflix app on your Xbox 360 the update we heard about at CES will be waiting, bringing Kinect owners the ability to flick through their videos (like ESPN3 and Zune have since the peripheral launched) without digging a controller out of the couch cushions. After the 43Mb update downloads waving ones hand for the camera or saying Xbox will pull up the new menu seen above, which auto sorts selections for browsing by voice or gesture based on what it thinks you may want to watch next. Selecting "browse all" brings you right back to the standard menu and is probably the method most will want to stick with, however being able to pause the movie quickly during playback by simply saying Xbox, Pause (or FF, rewind, skip scene, etc.) is quite convenient. Not near your Xbox? Check out a brief video of it in action after the break. [Thanks, George]
Samsung to release two Bada 2.0 handsets with NFC in Q4, software update in July?
Some of you Samsungers are probably anticipating the snazzy Wave 578 due out in May or June outside the US, but the sad news is it won't be shipped with the upcoming Bada 2.0 OS. Fret not, though, as Russian blog Bada World claims to have obtained some juicy details that'll cheer up Bada fanatics. The above slide -- apparently sourced from a Samsung France conference from a few days ago -- lists a pair of new but unnamed handsets that'll pack the new software, along with 7.2Mbps HSDPA, Bluetooth 3.0, and the seemingly trendsetting NFC. The difference between these two phones? One of them appears to be the flagship Bada 2.0 model, which expects a September launch with a 3.65-inch HVGA display, a 5 megapixel main camera, plus a VGA secondary camera. The second device will follow a month later, sporting a smaller 3.14-inch QVGA screen and just a 3 megapixel imager. In related news, TNW India reports that Bada 2.0 will be "first experienced in India" around July, though no hardware is mentioned here. This could imply that existing Bada users in India -- where Samsung's R&D develops 30 percent of Bada applications -- may be one of the first to obtain the 2.0 update, and it shouldn't be long before the rest of the world get their share of this piping hot pie. Anyhow, be rest assured that we'll keep our eyes peeled open for more Bada 2.0 news -- it'll be interesting to see where Samsung's next big push will take us.
Samsung Wave hacked to boot Froyo instead of Bada (video)
It looks like the Samsung Wave S8500 we reviewed last year is in the process of losing its wannabe smartphone status and becoming a bona fide Android device. Some enterprising Polish hackers were able to successfully boot the Galaxy S' build of Android 2.2.1 on the Bada-equipped Wave by exploiting some security holes. The project is still in the early stages and facing some hurdles with RAM access and CPU drivers, but it appears to be gaining momentum. Android on the Wave is a worthy proposition since the phone is quite powerful (1GHz CPU, 512MB RAM), yet small (3.3-inch WVGA Super AMOLED display), and features top notch materials plus build quality, as well as an excellent camera. Check out the mod in action in the video above. [Thanks, ememop]
Handheld millimeter / microwave camera to see through walls, your underpants (video)
You know those scanners that peep your naughty bits at the airport? Well, a team of researchers have been working on a handheld camera that sports the same technology, and while they're touting its future impact on stuff like cancer detection and aerospace engineering, we can't help but squirm thinking about its Peeping-Tom potential. The camera currently takes 30 images per second by transmitting millimeter and microwaves to a "collector" on the other side of a subject, and then sends them to a laptop for real-time inspection. Aside from being able to see straight through your BVDs, it can also be used to detect defects in spacecraft insulation, find termites lurking in the walls of your apartment, and help in the diagnosis of skin disease. The camera's creators are working on a smaller, one-sided version of the device that could have mass-market appeal -- we just hope this thing stays in R&D long enough for us to get our bikini bodies back. Check out a video of its G-rated abilities after the break.
Samsung's Wave 578 outted with NFC love, representing the Bada gang
Look, we all know Samsung's Bada platform isn't exactly everyone's first choice when picking a new phone, but if you're eyeing up an NFC-compatible handset within a reasonable budget later this year, then this Wave 578 could be a potential candidate. Packed within the metallic body is a dinky 3.2-inch 432 x 240 LCD screen with multitouch, compensated by a 3.2 megapixel rear camera, a VGA front camera, Bluetooth 3.0, and 802.11 b/g/n WiFi. Alas, there's no HD video support for both playback and recording, but you can at least take this as an indication for a wallet-friendly price point. Expect to see this featurephone on the shelves across Europe, South East Asia, and Middle East starting in May. Press release after the break.
Google Spaces shows us where Wave went
So it's safe to say that Google Wave didn't really make one upon the tech world as a whole, but it certainly was a neat idea. While Wave itself now lives with the Apache Software Foundation, the core concept, easy and direct collaboration with anyone, has new life with Google Shared Spaces. The Wave gadgets have been given a standalone home here, the idea being that you create a Space, invite some people, and then do -- well, whatever it is you need to do. It's basically just a more task-focused version of Wave, and maybe that's all the service really needed. Direction. Right now there are just shy of 50 such gadgets for you to try, but anyone with a little JavaScript know-how can whip up their own in a jiffy, though sadly there's no interactive gadget-creation Space. Now that would be something. [Thanks, Hassan]
Wave officially finds a home with the Apache Software Foundation
It's official, Wave fans: the Apache Software Foundation has accepted Wave for its incubator program. What's this mean? Well, the group will oversee future development of the Wave Federation protocols and the Wave In A Box product -- and those of you who absolutely cannot live without your Waves won't be left out in the cold. Rounding out support from Apache and Google are representatives from Solute, Novell, SESI, University Duisburg-Essen, and Wikileaks (OK, we made that last one up). Best of luck to ya!
Apache Wave In A Box provides a home for Google's orphaned Waves
So... that happened. Google Wave might be considered a success, if you value the insights gleaned from developing the platform, knowledge that will inform the company's many other products and services for some time to come. Then again, if your measure of success is a product that lasts for longer than fifteen months (more or less) before flatlining, Wave is probably a bit of a disappointment. And if you had invested some of your company's time or effort into the platform? Well, there is good news for you: Apache is hard at work on something called Wave in a Box, a server for hosting and federating waves -- either new waves or those exported from Google's service. The project is still in its early stages, but there is more than enough for the sysadmin who's crazy about online collaboration. Hit the source link to get started.
Samsung Wave 525, 575, and 533: Bada for Russia and beyond
Don't let the namesake fool you: these aren't high-end phones, nor are most of the devices in Sammy's Bada stable. Instead, the cryptically-named Wave 525, 575, and 533 look intent on keeping things affordable with features like 3.2-inch WQVGA displays and 3.2 megapixel cameras across the board. The first two, the 525 and 575, are slates; the main difference between the two is that the 525 is EDGE-only while the 575 adds support for dual-band 3.6Mbps HSDPA. Both are available in your choice of black, white, or pink. The 533, meanwhile, is a landscape QWERTY slider with specs roughly mirroring the 525's -- that is, you won't find any 3G here. The 525 is already on sale in Russia, while the 533 will hit the streets of Moscow later this month; afterward, they'll start to spread out to other markets in Europe, Latin America, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Looking for high-speed data? The 575 will be getting its debut in Sweden (of all places!) before launching around the globe. Follow the break for Sammy's full press release.
Jabra Wave headset coming to Verizon next month for $60
Sure, the Motorola Oasis might be an AT&T exclusive at the moment... but Verizon has its own accessory exclusives, too, as evidenced by Jabra's latest headset. The Wave, announced this week at CTIA, is a behind-the-ear design (a design Jabra's known for) and is touted as being both slimmer and "significantly easier to use than its predecessors," mostly thanks to its voice prompts and StatusDisplay -- Jabra's trademark for blinky status lights. It's also got fancy-sounding "three layer wind-noise reduction" aided with the usual DSP; pair that up with the fact that this puppy's got a boom mic, and we're willing to wager that it'll perform pretty well in the wilds. It'll hit Verizon stores in November for $59.99.
Samsung announces Bada-powered Wave II, not quite a whole new Wave
We only just got our hands on the Wave S8500, but it looks like Samsung isn't wasting any time in further expanding its Bada options -- the company has just introduced the new and slightly improved Wave II. The biggest difference over the previous Wave, it seems, is a larger 3.7-inch WVGA SLCD screen, compared to a 3.3-inch AMOLED on its predecessor. Otherwise, you'll get the same speedy 1GHz Hummingbird processor, the same LED flash-equipped 5-megapixel camera and, of course, the same Bada -- although it does apparently add a new Swype-esque input method dubbed Trace. Look for this one to be available sometime in November (in Germany, at least) for a rather hefty €429, or about $590. [Thanks, Keith]
Samsung Wave S8500 review
For some of us jaded and cynical gadget bloggers, getting a feature phone to review is somewhat painful. We grumble and roll our eyes, then put the box in a corner of the office for "later." See, feature phones are really just wannabe smartphones -- like a walled garden full of weeds and broken glass, most feature phones are crippled with restrictions and a crappy user experience. But somehow this time, when we finally opened the box, we discovered something different: a smartphone disguised as a feature phone. The Samsung Wave S8500 was announced with great fanfare at Mobile World Congress in February, and was (at the time) the first device to showcase the Bada mobile platform, the first to feature a Super AMOLED display, and the first to offer Bluetooth 3.0. Let's dive in and take a look at what the Wave is all about -- and what it's not. %Gallery-103844%
Samsung Wave 723 flaunts Bada, little else at IFA
Samsung just grew its Bada line with a low-end foil to the original Wave, the so-called Wave 723 -- and we just happened to catch it hanging out tucked away in a distributor's booth at IFA this week. Though the leather-grain flip cover is a classy touch, make no mistake that this one is destined for the bottom bits of the full-touch featurephone market segment thanks to a middle-of-the-road TFT LCD that looks pretty washed out and low-res compared to the Wave's Super AMOLED (interestingly, the 723 is the first Bada phone to use version 1.1 of the platform, whose major addition is support for auto-scaling between multiple resolutions). We were also surprised at how poorly responsive the screen was to touches and swipes; we even thought for a moment that it might be resistive, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Then again, 802.11n support ain't bad, and Samsung certainly seems as committed to Bada as ever, so we imagine they'll sell a few. Hit up the gallery! %Gallery-101194%
Samsung Wave 723 announced, Bada keeps chugging
The original Samsung Wave -- which happens to be the first production Bada device -- sports some pretty awesome specs, which probably doesn't make much sense for a proprietary platform that walks a very fine line between the smartphone and feature phone labels, has an immeasurably small fraction of the market uptake Android has, and isn't available in any form in the US. To that end, Sammy's toning things down a bit for round two in the form of the oddly-named Wave 723, which eschews the original's Super AMOLED display for a 3.2-inch TFT LCD but still manages to squeeze in 802.11n plus a 5 megapixel AF cam with LED flash. The phone's based on Bada 1.1, which adds UI auto-scaling -- in other words, Samsung's prepping developers to make sure their bountiful Bada apps work seamlessly across devices of different resolutions. No word on pricing, dates, or regional availability at this point, but it's reasonable to say that it's devices like the 723 that'll make or break Bada in the long term. Why this thing isn't just an Android 2.2 phone with TouchWiz 3.0, though... well, only Samsung can answer that one, we suppose. %Gallery-100709%
Google Wave development discontinued, Waveboard sinks
After much public and private debate over its actual utility, Google Wave, as you've probably already heard, is dead. Google posted a notice yesterday announcing that, due to a lack of public acceptance for the realtime collaboration platform, they are halting development. "We don't plan to continue developing Wave as a standalone product," states Google, "but we will maintain the site at least through the end of the year and extend the technology for use in other Google projects." Very few people are surprised by this news, and Wave has been roundly criticized for being poorly executed. Many (including myself), however, are disappointed. One Mac developer, in particular, is saddened by this development. Dirk Holtwick, author of a Wave client called Waveboard, got the news while on holiday this week. It goes without saying that a developer with commercial applications for Mac, iPhone and iPad which rely on Wave is disappointed by this announcement. Holwick shared with TUAW his own criticism of the "buggy first experience" that Wave provided most users, but also his admiration for technology that was "great, and ahead of its time." Read on for more.
Google Wave flatlines: no plans to further develop standalone product, future is in other Google services
Wave goodbye (sorry, we couldn't resist) to Google's "community collaboration" tool. In a post on Google's official blog, Senior VP of Operations Urs Hölzle has announced there are "[no] plans to continue developing Wave as standalone product." Blame it on a lower-than-desired user adoption rate, he says, all the while praising the learning experience and innovative tools it fostered. The site will reportedly be maintained "at least through the end of the year," with no promises beyond that, and tools will be eventually released "so that users can easily 'liberate' their content from Wave." We said early on that many of Wave's best ideas seemed better fit integrated into existing Google products like Docs and Gmail, and the company seems to agree: it plans to "extend the technology for use in other Google projects." We look forward to it, but in the meantime, a moment of silence for Google Maps co-founders Lars and Jens Rasmussen's now-fallen experiment.
HTC Gold with Windows Phone 7 in November, and more from a rumored UK roadmap leak
O, to see what Omio sees. The outlet has obtained what it claims to be "a huge UK mobile phone release schedule for the rest of the year... [from] all the manufacturers" (emphasis its own). So, from where would such an all-encompassing roadmap hail? We don't know, nor can we corroborate any of this, but the details are numerous so let's go through it -- albeit with cautious optimism and a few grains of salt. The biggest phone we can see of this baker's dozen of a lineup is the HTC Gold (sound familiar?), due in November and loaded with Microsoft's mobile OS newcomer Windows Phone 7. Unfortunately, that's all the information provided, but it's certainly enough to entice us. Also in November, we've got Samsung i8700 and Nokia E7 -- the latter being possibly a N8-esque QWERTY slider with AMOLED display and Symbian^3, and the former being a mystery (although Omio takes a gander that its aquatic Greek mythology might suggest a Bada-powered existence). Going up the list Memento style, October purportedly brings across the pond-ers HTC Vision, the virtually unknown HTC Ace, Nokia N8, and Sony Ericsson's Xperia X8 and Yendo. September's a bit of a yawner -- SE Hazel and a Nokia X2 candybar -- as is August with the X6 8GB and BlackBerry Curve 9300. And July? Nokia E5-00, Sony Ericsson W20, and Samsung i5500. As is usually the case, the more you can wait, the better your options. Now, let's see if this supposed roadmap stays on course.
Skyhook hones in on another partner, Samsung's Wave to geo-locate like no other
Skyhook Wireless seems to have located itself yet another major partner in its continued quest to pinpoint every single cellphone owner in the world. Sure, we're exaggerating a bit just to get you riled up, but there's no arguing the fact that the company fulfills "hundreds of millions of location requests every day across over 100 million handsets, netbooks and cameras." Or so it says, anyway. The latest company to buy into Skyhook's geo-locating promise -- which uses a mysterious combination of GPS, cellular and WiFi data to get a darn good lock on your current position in most any environment -- is Samsung, with the Bada-equipped Wave (S8500) first to tout it. As time goes on, even more Sammy phones will utilize Skyhook's technology, though we're left to wonder what exactly those models will be. Anyone up for educated guessing?
